(Washington, D.C.) March 21, 2017 — The Trump Administration’s recently released FY18 budget
proposal calls for drastic cuts in the funding of the Department of State and
the Agency for International Development (USAID), totaling 31 percent from
current levels. This reduction in funding for international humanitarian agencies
instead diverts resources to military spending.
If adopted as written, this budget would have the gravest consequences
for the well-being – even the survival – of millions of the world’s refugees.

Coming during the worst humanitarian crisis since World War
II, at a time when the world is struggling to protect and assist more than 65 million
people displaced by conflict, natural disaster and persecution, this budget
threatens a dramatic departure from the proud American tradition as a leader in
humanitarian action on behalf of those less fortunate than ourselves.
Furthermore, by increasing human misery, adding fuel to the fires of conflict,
and creating incentives for further desperate flight, a reduction in this
American commitment could well have a cascading effect that would increase
worldwide displacement to yet more terrible levels.

U.S. humanitarian funding makes a vital contribution to the
operations of such humanitarian organizations as the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR),
UNICEF, and the World Food Program, and helps sustain millions of refugee lives
every day, a fact which the Administration fails to recognize. Furthermore,
cuts to development assistance, by both international organizations such as the
World Bank and U.S. governmental agencies such as USAID, would also threaten
the long-term well-being of refugees by eliminating programs that help refugee
hosting countries and support refugee education and employment, the twin
foundations that help refugees to reach self-sufficiency.

U.S. foreign assistance, especially that directed toward
refugees and internally displaced persons, has always had broad bipartisan support from the American
people and their representatives in Congress. We are encouraged that the continuing outpouring
of generosity from American supporters of organizations such as Jesuit Refugee
Service/USA during this crisis demonstrates that this is still very much the
case. During this challenging time, JRS will redouble its efforts to serve
refugees both through our programs and by impressing upon Congress and the
Administration that helping refugees is a moral imperative and in our national
interest.

Military might is not, and can never be, a substitute for
diplomacy and compassion. “A country as
strong as the United States needs to show the world not just its power, but its
heart,” said Fr. Leo J. O’Donovan, S.J., Interim Executive Director of Jesuit
Refugee Service/USA. Representing less than 1 percent of the U.S. budget,
foreign assistance is not charity but wise diplomacy. It is essential to saving
lives, and building a better world not just for refugees, but for us all.